It is on that list because CEOs on 500K a year salary + an expat allowance live in a different reality. The way the world looks when you are rich is different from the way it looks when you are poor. And average folks like us also have a certain picture. Everyone is friendly to the rich and they go for places where they can get the best services for their virtually unlimited bucks, And yes, HK people love those with money and are friendly to them. Most countries are as mean as junkyard dogs to the poor and treat them like dirt. Average Westerners like us need to have our own list, too.
Also, if you are rich and powerful in some foreign land and do not speak the language and only use English and live in the English speaking environment you will never know what the natives say about you. And your faithful translators may not always translate those nasty words for you.
In the US, too, if you are rich, you will find that Americans are super friendly. No matter what color you are.

Filipinos are super nice to Americans and let them in without a visa. Girls in the city die to date a rich Joe. The Philippines looks different if you are a Bangladheshi, though. You won't be even given the visa to get in.

Last edited by ladislav on May 6th, 2011, 11:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.

ladislav wrote:Average Westerners like us need to have our own list, too.

There should be travel guides for people of different ethnicities, income levels, religions, sexual orientation, etc.. really the idea that there is an all encompassing "friendliest" place in the world is laughable. It's all about leveraging your qualities in a society that's at least tolerant or ideally accepting of you.

Most of those countries in that list are in fact terribly intolerant to most people who don't fit the "ideal" expat.